UAE Rapidly Expands Footprint in Africa’s Critical Mineral and Infrastructure Sectors

Highlights

• The UAE has invested over $110 billion in African strategic assets since 2019.
• Emirati firms are expanding across African nations by developing ports and power plants and securing strategic resources through corporate proxies.
• The UAE’s investment significantly outpaces China’s recent investments in Africa.
• These investments coincide with the U.S. reducing development aid and diplomatic operations in Africa, creating a new geopolitical opportunity.

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has emerged as a potent force in Africa’s critical mineral and infrastructure sectors, pouring over $110 billion into strategic assets globally since 2019, more than triple China’s recent investment.

According to The New York Times (opens in a new tab), the UAE is quietly positioning itself as the gatekeeper of African supply chains by acquiring a controlling stake in Zambia’s Mopani Copper Mines, building logistics hubs through privately held DP World, (opens in a new tab) and deploying clean energy projects across more than a dozen African nations.

Emirati firms—closely aligned with the royal families—now span key corridors from Algeria to South Africa, building not just ports and power plants but also influence.

This surge comes as the U.S. and other Western powers sometimes retreat. The Trump administration has dismantled development aid programs, cut funding to the African Development Bank, and gutted regional diplomatic operations. However, Trump is striking up new discussions on the continent of Africa.  

In contrast, the UAE is blending statecraft with business, using corporate proxies to secure both strategic resources and geopolitical leverage. While its ambitions are bolstered by U.S. security ties and a growing commercial partnership with China, the Emirates’ aggressive play raises concerns, from gold smuggling to allegations of proxy conflicts in Sudan. Nonetheless, in the new era of resource-focused geopolitics, the UAE is playing the middle power game with precision, and Africa is the prize.

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